[sci.electronics] Want EPROM/PAL programmer recommendations

keithl@loop.UUCP (Keith Lofstrom) (03/20/89)

I'm looking for an inexpensive EPROM programmer for my over-equipped home lab,
and willing to pay extra for PAL capabilities.  The best looking advertisement
is for the ( JDR Microdevices )||( Modular Circuit Technology ) Universal
Module at $530.00, but what can you tell from ads?

I realize I'm not going to get DATA-IO quality for less than $1K, but I can
put up with some kludginess and inconvenience if the unit does a semi-decent
programming job.

If you have recently purchased a cheap programmer, tell me about it!

Thanks,
Keith
-- 
Keith Lofstrom    keithl@loop    tektronix!tessi!qiclab!loop!keithl
Launch Loop, P.O. Box 1538, Portland, Oregon 97207   (503)-628-3645

jeffj@pedsga.UUCP (03/24/89)

In article <10@loop.UUCP>, keithl@loop.UUCP writes:
> I'm looking for an inexpensive EPROM programmer for my over-equipped home lab,
> and willing to pay extra for PAL capabilities.  The best looking advertisement
> is for the ( JDR Microdevices )||( Modular Circuit Technology ) Universal
> Module at $530.00, but what can you tell from ads?
> If you have recently purchased a cheap programmer, tell me about it!

I have the Serial EPROM programmer from Circuit Cellar.
Micromint is the company that supports the Steve Ciarcia Circuit
Cellar projects.
The kit form is about $100 for PCB, manual and a few parts
	(the EPROM with the code needed to run the thing, the CPU).
For a little over $200 it's assembled.

I heard that somewhere there are adapters to allow programming PALS.
Sorry, I never folllowed that up.

I subscribe to Circuit Cellar, Inc where Steve & Co describe ONLY
projects, and show a dedication to the X10 controllers.

Steve Ciarcia always has a booth at the Trenton computer show
(coming up April 22-23).

To be precise, I bought the minimal kit and ordered all the parts myself.
The money saved was NOT WORTH IT!
I had disappointingly few appropriate parts in my parts box.
Many of the orders were split due to backorders and parts that were
discontinued.
I lost a lot of time and effort just obtaining the parts.
Yes, the kit with all parts may cost $40 more than ordering the parts yourself,
but that's not too bad for
someone else doing all the ordering and assuring that you have everything.
It took over a month just to select the venders, place the orders and
do all the followups.  And after all that, I still have to replace some
parts.

__________
	    What do electrical engineers do when capacitors fail?
	    They have Tantalum tantrums.
Jeffrey Jonas

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